A hail of boos rained down upon Brady Tkachuk from the moment the puck dropped. Ottawa Senators fans were relentless, peppering him with everything from "your podcast sucks" chants to "you eat crayons". For 60 full minutes, Sens fans let their ex-captain know just how they feel about him quitting on the team year after year.
Detroit Red Wings fans can learn a thing or two from this.
Disgruntled ex-captain Dylan Larkin requested a trade this offseason. He refused to communicate with fans save for a limited three-team trade list that may or may not have existed. When asked about his reasoning for a trade request, Larkin emphasized that the fans deserved answers but he "wasn't going to go there", repeatedly saying that he might never be ready to go there.
The lack of communication - and subsequent underwhelming play - have left a very bitter taste in Red Wings fans' mouths.
There will come a time when Larkin no longer wears the Winged Wheel. When that day comes - and when he finally makes his return to Detroit - Red Wings fans need to raise the standard set by the Sens.
Why Red Wings fans will boo Larkin
If the team's season opener wasn't enough evidence, Red Wings fans aren't exactly pleased with Larkin. They're upset that their captain requested a trade. They're upset that he took a front-loaded contract and demanded an eight-year deal, only to request a trade after scoring a single even-strength point after the calendar year.
Above all else, though, fans are upset about the lack of communication.
Telling fans they deserve answers while failing to give them is a slap in the face after a full offseason spent in purgatory, unable to determine the direction of the team moving forward.
Larkin is well within his right to request a trade. Having said that, it doesn't absolve him from the frustrations of fans or the consequences of failing to communicate. It doesn't suddenly absolve him from the laziest, most inconsistent lull of his career this early into a season.
No matter what Jim Devellano may say, Larkin's trade request still stands. He doesn't want to play in Detroit anymore. That's fine.
Red Wings fans need to get creative
From punching bags to chants about podcasts, Sens fans showed their creativity the day Brady Tkachuk returned to Ottawa. If Red Wings fans want to truly show how they feel about Larkin, they'll need to get creative. We're talking rehearsed chants, boos, the whole nine yards. Wings fans have spent the last ten years frustrated with the organization and, at long last, they can finally let it out.
While Larkin's departure hasn't been met with the hostility Tkachuk has received just yet, his lingering presence has a noticeable effect on the Wings on the ice. In order to move past the Larkin era, the team needs to establish right away that the new Red Wings aren't the same as the Larkin-led ones.
Though it's likely we'll hear "sell the team" chants just as much as any would-be Larkin criticism.
Add us as a preferred source on Google